Medway man arraigned on child pornography charges

Tuesday

Apr 18, 2017 at 8:53 PMApr 18, 2017 at 8:54 PM

By Christopher Gavin Daily News Staff

WRENTHAM - A 32-year-old Medway man was arraigned on Tuesday on charges of making, possessing and distributing child pornography involving a 13-year-old girl, and a 4-year-old girl, whom he is also accused of molesting.

Michael Petrucci, who faces eight charges related to child pornography, was held without bail. A not guilty plea was entered on his behalf during his arraignment in Wrentham District Court.

Petrucci, of 3 West St., was arrested Saturday at his home on two counts each of the manufacture, dissemination and possession of child pornography and one count each of distribution of obscene matter to a minor and child enticement.

Earlier this month, Petrucci was arrested and arraigned two separate times: once on two counts of disseminating obscene matter to a minor and another for aggravated statutory rape after he allegedly molested the 4-year-old girl, whom he baby-sat, police documents indicate.

According to a Medway Police report on file at the court, Petrucci molested the 4-year-old girl, took photos of her naked and sent them over social media during times he baby-sat her last year and as recently as February.

Police said the photos were first noticed by the girl’s mother, who told police on April 1 that her daughter said Petrucci had inappropriately touched her and showed her video pornography while babysitting her at their home.

Police said a background check on Petrucci - who works as a professional driver - says he is a Level 2 sex offender, previously convicted for indecent assault and battery on a child under 14 in 2011.

The Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry Board classifies sex offenders as Level 2 if the risk of re-offense is moderate and if the risk of danger to the public is enough to have the offender register so the information is available to the public.

The details of the 4-year-old girl’s case are similar to the circumstances in Petrucci’s previous conviction, according to law enforcement.

When interviewed by police on April 6, Petrucci confirmed to officials that the girl had caught him watching pornography while masturbating, authorities allege.

Though the girl had told her mother that she had seen Petrucci exposed, he told police the girl had walked in on him using the bathroom three or four times, the report said.

Police arrested him after the April 6 interrogation and charged him with two counts of disseminating obscene matter to a minor, according to the document.

Petrucci was arrested again on April 10 on a warrant charging aggravated statutory rape - the same day the girl told authorities he had inappropriately touched her.

Through a search warrant obtained earlier this month, authorities seized Petrucci’s cellphone, on which they said they found several photographs of a naked 13-year-old girl.

Other images depicted a different girl between the ages of 8 and 10 naked, police said.

“We formed the opinion that it was extremely (probable) that Petrucci is communicating with other young, female children and receiving photographs from them,” police said in the report.

Through additional search warrants, authorities seized a computer hard drive from Petrucci’s home. State police found 22 images that depict girls between 3 and 12 years old in various stages of undress, the report said.

In one, a girl approximately 12 years old is visible having sex with an adult man, authorities said.

Other photographs were also found in which it appears the 4-year-old girl is naked, according to the report.

The document indicates that Petrucci baby-sat the 4-year-old in February, and during that time he sent inappropriate photos of the girl to someone else over the social media messaging application, “Kik," police said.

Petrucci also sent photos to multiple people using the the mobile app, possibly between Jan. 1, 2016 and April 6.

Motions were made in district court - where Petrucci appeared in shackles - to redact the names of the minors involved from police reports. Prosecutors noted that there are at least two identifiable minors involved so far.

A spokeswoman for the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office said additional information would not be available until May 4 when Petrucci is scheduled to appear again in court.

Christopher Gavin can be reached at 508 634-7582 or cgavin@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @c_gavinMDN